


Read or Die 101: An Introductory Course in Ritual Magic

by Prinzenhasserin



Category: Original Work
Genre: Urban Fantasy, college students, crackfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-04-26 23:18:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14412639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prinzenhasserin/pseuds/Prinzenhasserin
Summary: The mandatory introduction course is really ominously named, and Alexandra has to ask her RA if it’s a course worth taking.





	Read or Die 101: An Introductory Course in Ritual Magic

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Morbane](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morbane/gifts).



> Read or Die 101 is an Urban Fantasy book about Alexandra, who slowly learns to step out of the shadows of her wildly successful family and forge her own path. Her first hurdle? Oh, only the mandatory course for Ritual safety—with a 50-percent mortality rate. Graduation never seemed so difficult.

 

"Oh, you don’t want to sign up to this course," the RA said. She had purple highlights in her matted hair, and Alexandra uncharitably thought that it didn’t manage to underscore her advice with the proper gravitas. Her suggestion for the best ritualistic supply store in town had been very helpful, though, and so Alexandra didn’t say what she was thinking, which was that Read or Die 101 was an introductory course in Safety Precautions, and why the fuck would she not want to sign up for it, if she needed exactly that to sign up for further labs?

"But I need it for my qualifications," Alexandra said. 

"Oh, dearie," the RA who really managed to rub her the wrong way shook her head. "I know, it sucks—and it’s your choice in the end—but there’s a reason they make you sign an affidavit during the first lesson, and it’s the same reason why it’s called Read Or Die. You literally die if you don’t follow the readings."

Alexandra looked at her. She wasn’t naive. She’d been told a few of the campus ghost and horror stories, had even met a local cryptid. She was aware that this university—with it’s excellent graduate program and extraordinary future employment opportunities—had its downsides, and one of them, well, it was the mortality rate. But from not following along with the reading? Her RA must be kidding.

"You might think I’m kidding," the RA said, and Alexandra wondered if she had signed up for a mindreading class. "But believe me, I’m not. It has a mortality rate of 50%, and you might think that’s fine and dandy, but don’t come to me once your fellow classmates start to drop like flies. Of course, if you do think you can manage the course load—but personally, I don’t think you have the drive."

Alexandra felt offended by that, but she had long practise in swallowing her feelings and pretending to be unaffected by people looking down on her. She was the first Ritualist in a family full of elementals, and she’d show them that the power of rituals was much more durable than the flashy magic of the elementals. But for that, she needed her introductory courses in Ritual magic. "What would you suggest I do, then?" she asked.

"You could take non-practical classes and wait for the introductory summer class," the RA replied. "Or, you could skip the intro, and just go to normal class—you look smart, you can pick it up."

Alexandra felt it down to her bones. This was the worst advice she’d ever been given. "Why would anyone ever go to this class, then?" she wanted to know.

The RA paused, grimaced, then said, "Well, the ones that pass the introductory course—" she paused again.

"What happens to them?" Alexandra asked.

"—they don’t tend to die later in the practicals. But it’s not worth the hassle! The course work is gruelling. I mean, I guess I’d have done it under different circumstances, but I couldn’t because my soul was already signed away."

Alexandra looked down on the paper in her hand. Under the Goals part, there was a tiny box in black that indeed said, "Requirement: Intact Soul"

"What happened to your soul?" Alexandra asked, curious. "Nevermind, the teacher is a demon?"

"Who else do you think is qualified to teach Ritual Summonings?" the RA asked, as if her question had been stupid. "Really, who else where they going to have teach?"

Alexandra was going to become a Ritualist. And apparently, she’d be taught by demons. Honestly, she couldn’t wait.


End file.
